Local authorities used a crane to cover the statue with a large sheet. Source: Facebook

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A GIANT statue of a Chinese deity has been covered up by a white sheet in Indonesia earlier this week amid rising concerns of Islamist fundamentalism and anti-Chinese sentiment in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

The statue of the ancient Chinese god depicting third-century General Guan Yu courted controversy after it was erected in the city of Tuban, East Java, drawing protests by Muslim locals who want it to be demolished due to religious sensitivities.

According to the ABC, while the Kwan Sing Bio Chinese temple had existed without issue for generations, the conservative Muslims could not bear the sight of the brightly-coloured 30m-high statue, which is the highest in Southeast Asia.